246. ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 
479. If no queens have been raised previously (514), 
by making a few forced swarms, from select colonies (613), 
nine days before the time in which the most are to be made, 
there will be an abundance of sealed queens, almost mature, 
so that every parent-stock may have one. If the forced 
swarms were made a short time before natural swarming 
would have taken place, some of the parent-colonies will 
contain a number of maturing queens, which may be re- 
moved, a few days before hatching, and given to such as 
have started none. But it is far better to rear the queens 
first, as they can be bred from choice stock (513). 
480. A nucleus (520) may be built up after its queen 
has commenced laying, by helping it with a comb of brood 
and young bees, from a full colony, adding, at proper 
intervals, a third, anda fourth, until they are strong enough 
to take care of themselves. This mode of increase is labo- 
rious, and requires skill and judgment; for, the bee-keeper 
should be very careful never to give a weak colony more 
brood than its bees can cover, remembering that, should 
the temperature become colder, the brood might be chilled 
and perish. 
As a number of nuclei are to be simultaneously strength- 
ened, the Apiarist cannot complete his artificial processes 
by a single operation, and must always be on hand, or 
incur the risk of ending the season with a number of starv- 
ing colonies. For these and other reasons, we much prefer 
the other methods, above given, dispensing with so much 
opening of hives and handling of combs. If, however, any 
of the new colonies are weak enough to need it, they must 
be helped to combs from stronger ones. 
481. Whatever method of artificial increase is pursued by 
the Apiarist, he should never reduce the strength of his 
mother-stocks, so as seriously to cripple the reproductive power 
of their queens. This principle should be to him as ‘‘ the 
aw of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not;’’ for, 
